Braginski
by IggyUnicornSparkles
Summary: A Hetalian version of Dracula. Matthew Williams arrives at Count Braginski's castle to discuss business for the house the Russian wishes to buy in England. I do not own Hetalia or Bram Stoker's Dracula - .
1. Chapter 1

Braginski

Matthew Williams stared up at the thick wooden door of the castle, he didn't want to knock yet, but stand back and admire the architecture of the place, a wrought iron door knocker was welded to the door, elegantly decorated in intricate patterns, yet rusting, the Count obviously didn't take pride in the building as much as he should have. In estimation the building had probably about 5 floors, it stretched out about 20 meters ever side of the door and had an unsettling feeling about it, abandoned, it seemed as if no one dared to venture there.

He took a deep breath and grasped the metal, it was cold, the temperature of it had dropped like the temperature it was outside, below freezing, he watched the breath mist out and disappear from his mouth, regretting the decision to pack light as he banged on the door, 3 times, equally spaced apart. The sound cut through the silence like a bullet through a piece of linen, sharply, after knocking he hid the offending hand in the pocket of his coat, he took a few steps back, wondering if the maid would answer the door already, he was freezing out there.

"Ah, you have arrived" The door opened slowly to reveal a tall man, the first thing Matthew saw appearing from the shadows was his nose, a large sturdy nose, accompanied by a strong jaw line and a child like smile, Count Braginski.

Ivan Braginski was far more than Matthew had expected, he loomed over the Canadian, about 6''2 in height although he couldn't determine his build, his whole figure was hidden in a long tan coat, a light pink scarf wrapped around his neck, it reached down to what was probably his knees, it made Matthew wonder who would make a scarf that long. Pale, he was pale, he probably spent a lot of time inside, clean shaven though, he presented himself well, his purple eyes glinted from the darkness of the castle.

"You must be freezing out there" he murmured, he had a thick Russian accent, it was a gentle tone, one that Matthew would never have imagined coming out of such a large man's mouth, Matthew made eye-contact again reluctantly, and nodded. "Yes, sir" he let out a nervous chuckle, breathless from the biting cold as he rubbed his hands together "I must thank you for inviting me here" he took a step forward, hoping he wasn't rushing things, but the castle despite it's unsettling appearance seemed far more inviting than staying outside.

Taking a step back, Ivan threw a hand out to gesture to the interior of his home, a smirk on his face as he invited the man in "welcome to my _humble _abode, I'm sure you will find it most comfortable, Da?" he beamed, obviously proud of his castle, and eager to invite Matthew in.

"Thank you" Matthew crouched slightly and grasped the handle of his suitcase, lifting it from the ground and doubting that he packed light all of a sudden, the weight was taken from him, Braginski tilted his head "allow me to take it, please, you are the guest here after all". About to protest, Matthew stepped into the house, about to examine it's features but didn't have enough time as he felt a large hand on his shoulder, the fingers reached his collar bone and gave his shoulder a small squeeze "don't just stand there Matvey, you must eat and rest" the Russian instructed and led him up the stairs.

Not only had Count Braginski taken his bags, and laid a hand on his shoulder, but he had also given him a nickname, Matthew decided that if possible he would ask about it over dinner. He was led up a wide corridor, the walls were empty of paintings or any kind of decoration apart from the candles hanging from brackets, they flickered as the two passed, the wax melted and hanging like stalactites from the candles' perch.

"And this is your room" Braginski opened a door to reveal an octagonal room, a four poster bed with dark red drapes, a chest of drawers sat against one wall along with various cupboards and a writing desk. A hat stand resided next to the door along with a small urn, yet there were no windows, only a narrow doorway leading to the bathroom. Matthew walked in and looked around, seemingly pleased with the room, it was more than he had expected from such an old fashioned castle, his suitcase was placed on the bed as Ivan straightened up and turned to him.

"You must be hungry" he suggested and tilted his head to the side like a curious child, this creeped Matthew out a little so he swiftly agreed "just a little" he whispered followed Ivan to wherever he was wandering. Eventually he was led to a large dining room, nearing the end nearest the door were 2 chairs sat across from each other, Ivan pulled out a chair for him as if he was a woman, the table was laid with fine silver cutlery and various meats that if Matthew wasn't as polite and uptight as he reserved himself to be, would have dived straight at them much like his brother and dug in. He sat, sitting up straight as he allowed the Count to pour him a glass of clear liquid which he hoped was water, but smelled strongly of alcohol, he took a cautionary sip as Ivan sat across from him and almost spit it out, his fear had been correct, it was vodka.

"I'm afraid I cannot attend to you as much as I should, or spend as much time with you, but I have a young man who will attend to you in your stay, he obeys any orders given so I should hope he will make a sufficient host. I have a lot of work to do, you see?" Ivan didn't eat anything himself but watched carefully as Matthew cut himself a slice of beef and cut it into neat bite sized triangles, he looked up at the Russian and nodded "that's okay, I'm sure I won't be needing him much" he offered him a weak smile as he took a few bites of the food.

After Matthew had eaten until he could eat no more, he looked over to see Ivan staring out of the window, the pale man was lifting the vodka bottle to his lips methodically, gulping it then swallowing, lifting the bottle again and repeating the process. Matthew could distantly hear what seemed to be wolves, but sounded more like cries to him, Ivan noticed him perk up slightly and glanced over at him, a cheerful smile on his face "the children of the night, what sweet music they make" he turned to him, the moon shadowing half of his face "but you must be tired, I suggest you retire to your bedroom, sleep as late as you like, I will not be in until the afternoon".

And with that last slightly disturbing note, I retired to the stone room I was to call home for the next few weeks.

**A/N: Thank you for reading ^-^ I have already established a character equivalent list. **

**So far we already have : **

**Canada as Jonathan Harker**

**and**

**Russia as Count Dracula **

**The other characters have yet to come, the children of the night quote in there was from Dracula, thanks Bram Stoker for that one, I hope you don't mind. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

When Matthew woke in the morning all was silent, it was rather unnerving, considering that he hadn't seen anyone else in this castle apart from Ivan himself, but for the sake of politeness he didn't delve into the matter. Rather well rested, he glanced over at his watch which was laying on the bedside table, a gift given to him by Gilbert, his husband of which he cherished and adored, especially being gone from him this long. It was okay to leave him though, he had gone on holiday with Alfred, his brother, over the years the two had gotten close, never pushing Matthew out of the picture, he liked the fact that they got on well, it was better than his brother disapproving. He had woken up late in the morning, he was quite disappointed as despite his vow to be polite and sell this house, he was curious about a number of things.

He was famished, which was odd considering the meal he had consumed the night before was more than enough, after dressing and getting ready and presentable, he wandered out into the room he had entered the previous night to eat. Laid out on the table was a now cold breakfast, and a cup of coffee, lukewarm and less than appetising, Matthew sighed and looked around for some form of bell he could ring to alert the kitchens, or any kind of staff that could help him, hadn't Ivan mentioned some guy he was meant to go to?

Well, there seemed to be nothing to do there, Matthew glanced at the door and took a deep breath, it wasn't as if Ivan had said anything about not exploring, after all he did want to see the property. He took a few steps towards the door and looked around, it just didn't feel right here, he turned back to the door and opened it quickly, taking a small leap through the threshold and slamming it behind him.

The corridor was dark, which was rather odd considering it was daytime, he glanced at the walls, and realized that there were no curtains, no windows for that matter, it was just a slightly damp looking brick wall, he blinked, having sworn there was at least some decoration on the walls yesterday. Ah, the candles, that must have been it, how stupid of him to have doubted the man's hospitality, he was certain that those stories of monsters that get you in the dark told to him by his brother were getting to him. How foolish of him, he scoffed slightly at himself as he tried the first door on his left, there were none on the right- he guessed that was the outer wall, it was locked.

Sighing, he tried the second, twisting the handle and pushing, it opened quicker than he had expected, he stumbled in, tilting forwards and heading head first for the first object in his path. "Oof" he bumped into something soft, him and it both went tumbling to the ground, he winced and felt something rising and falling under his cheek, he lifted his head up and widened his eyes.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry" he apologised frantically, scrambling to his feet and staring at what- or more, who he had just landed on, the man stared up at him, registering his surprise before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "It's alright" the man smiled, it seemed that a lot of smiling went on in this place, but for some reason this seemed like a genuine smile, if a little bit sad. "You must be Ivan's new _servant?" _he tilted his head slightly, putting the book he had been reading on the table.

Servant? Matthew shook his head "I'm here to talk about the new house...in England?" he blinked, trying to make sense on why he would be a servant, and why did the man say it so weirdly. The man sighed, running a hand down the front of his face as if in despair, he turned away and muttered something almost inaudible, he muttered to himself, something about it being the same thing, the rest of it Matthew couldn't make out. He was a little worried now "what do you mean?" he demanded, voice still painfully quiet as he didn't want to make a show of himself within the first day, the man turned back to him "I mean, welcome to the castle, if you need anything just feel free to ask" he forced a smile, beaming straight at Matthew until he was forced to look away.

He looked away until he felt a hand thrust out towards him, the man had rather briskly offered it to shake, Matthew gripped it uncertainly, it felt normal, human enough, a strong handshake. "Call me Eduard" he sighed as he saw Matthew open his mouth to exchange greetings "I know your name already, so there's no need to give me it" he nodded before glancing back at the door. He took a deep breath "I have to go" he gathered up his books, notebook and pens, rushing to the door. Matthew frowned, the first seemingly normal person he had met was leaving him already, he widened his eyes "why?" he almost shouted but forced himself not to.

"Because he's here" he slammed the door behind him, Matthew opened the door immediately to call him back, ask, who was he?

But the man was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"Matvey...I did not expect you to start exploring already" a voice chimed behind him as the temperature of the room seemed to drop a few degrees, his shoulders hunched for a moment as a shiver went down his spine, before forcing himself to relax and turning to the tall man with a professional smile.

"Ah, I just-" Matthew went to make an excuse, perhaps he wasn't meant to explore in here... maybe he wasn't meant to meet this person that had just run away, Matthew couldn't help but long for them to come back, they had been the only human seeming person in this place since he had arrived last night. " ... there was a man here just a minute ago, he was wearing glasses...who was he?" he dared to ask the question, staring up at him for a moment and pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. The other man visibly flinched at the question and looked a little irritated, Matthew immediately regretted asking the question but still awaited the answer.

"It must be one of the servants, I told you about them Da?" the forced childish smile stretched his lips again as he looked around the library, eyes flickering quickly as if he was checking something "the one I was telling you about, he will be serving you dinner tonight...again I have to go out" Ivan returned his attention back to the Canadian in front of him.

"Oh...that's okay" Matthew found it confusing, the Count had spent no time with him so far, he hadn't told him either if there were any towns nearby where he could get supplies, he had the feeling that the man was avoiding him. Then again Ivan always seemed tense around him, clenching his fists and unclenching them, trying to hide them in the folds of his rather large coat, constantly looking around with those odd eyes of his. "Great" Ivan smiled, snapping him out of his thoughts as the Russian clapped a hand on his shoulder, before Matthew could speak the sound of a clock chiming rebounded through the house, Ivan widened his eyes and looked around, listening carefully and muttering something under his breath of which Matthew could not make out but sounded like Russian.

"I must go" Ivan spoke curtly, a slightly more human look in his eyes, Matthew nodded slowly, having no choice but to agree "Oh...okay...that's fine" he tried to reassure the man with a professional smile, looking around before looking back "you just-" oh... he was gone. Matthew caught the flash of a tan coat and a purple scarf, the door swinging shut behind him "go..." he finished off, letting out a sigh before going to the door himself. He was rather hungry, and Ivan had never spoken about lunch, so he decided that he would find lunch himself.

Matthew walked along the doors, trying each one, most of them were locked, until the scent of boiling meat wafted down the hallway. Matthew's heart twinged, it reminded him of hospitals somewhat, and he had the feeling it would be served up on a scratched plastic plate along with microwaved carrots and something which he could not identify. Then he heard sobbing coming from the door ahead of him, again, it reminded him painfully of the time when he had appendicitis at the age of 5, his brother Alfred took time away from seeing his friend Gilbert (who Matthew soon would marry) to stay there with him.

He reminisced in the thought for a few seconds, hand hovering over the door handle, until he gave up and pushed it open and walked in to the rather large kitchen "hello?" he called out, and heard the sounds behind the boiler. Part of Matthew didn't want to explore any more, that part of him urged him to go back up to his room and pretend that he had never heard the sounds. But the courageous part of him made him walk over to that boiler and peek behind it.

What he saw shocked him to the very core, a child was standing on a stool, rolling pin in his hands, blue eyes brimming with tears as his spindly wrists fought to roll the thick pastry out, he was hunched over, but Matthew could just about see the bruise on his cheek.

"H-Hello?" Matthew took a step closer towards him, tilting his head slightly to try and get a better look at his face, his wish was granted when the boy's head snapped up to look at him, blinking in surprise before looking down at himself. The boy wiped his nose with his sleeve, Matthew would have lectured him if it hadn't been for that desolate look in his eyes "h-hi" he answered back, his voice hadn't yet broken, so he must have only been about 10. "What's your name?" Matthew fired the next question. "I'm R-R-Raivis" the child stared up at him with wide eyes, Matthew forced another smile "well I'm Matthew" he took another step towards him.

"What are you doing here?" Matthew asked quietly, fishing the handkerchief out of his pocket and using it to dab away the boy's tears, looking him up and down "I th-think I sh-should ask y-y-you th-the same q-question" he sniffled somehow still having the courage to make a retort. Smiling gently, Matthew shook his head "you look like you're having a bit of trouble there" he blinked then gestured to his cheek "what happened?" he asked, speaking to the child in a motherly fashion.

"I w-w-was d-disobedient" the child started crying again, giving a sigh of despair Matthew wrapped his arms around his thin frame, feeling unusually stronger than usual as he looked around, finally focusing on a grime covered window as he rubbed the boy's back.

And yet again the snow started to fall.

**A/N: ****So I introduced Latvia into that one ^-^ **

**o-o I'm slowly trying to build it up, and we will probably meet Lithuania in the next chapter. **


End file.
